Church giving can be an uncomfortable topic, but funding is essential to your church's function. There are many hurdles to overcome, but with the right approach, you can help your congregation grow and become better givers. How Do I Grow Generosity at My Church? 1. Address the Discomfort To make a change, you must first acknowledge the elephant in the room; some people are uncomfortable or unwilling to give. Help them understand the Biblical perspective on giving and the attitudes that should motivate it. Equally important, show them your church can be trusted to steward their gifts by model ..read more

Guest Author: Vision2 Church leaders talk about financial matters all the time, and it is not uncommon for these conversations to be focused primarily on the progress toward your giving goals. For an effective financial stewardship strategy that starts at the top, expand your financial discussions to include the topics that affect your givers. Giving Conversation #1: The Need for Transparency and Accountability About Church Spending Decisions More and more people have a heightened sensitivity to excess and fraud in charitable organizations. So, the church’s annual report should cover income, e ..read more

Paul begins his letter to the Romans by stating that he is a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God. He also adds "by the will of God" in most of his other letters to affirm the purpose of his calling to preach the gospel to Jews and Gentiles, something Paul never doubted. So sure was he of his calling and purpose that he gave up his freedom and eventually his life to pursue and fulfill it. At least for me, the beginning of a new year feels like renewal. It's like I've been given another opportunity to start over. As I've reflected on this new opp ..read more

Guest Post by Brendan Manson, President of Fellowship Development Capital campaigns are intensive fundraising endeavors aimed at securing substantial funding within a set timeframe. Typically, these campaigns support projects like constructing a new church, renovating facilities or retiring debt. However, beneath the financial surface lies a profound question: Do capital campaigns align with biblical stewardship? The Word of God reveals a harmony between capital campaigns and stewardship and provides valuable lessons for today’s church leaders. Two Biblical Examples of Capital Campaigns and St ..read more

It is difficult to watch the events happening in Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine and consider the level of brutality that people can impose on one another. That kind of behavior seems inhuman. How can some people cause such harm to others? The apostle Paul reveals the answer in his letter to the Ephesians. The Battle For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 Yes, it is men who are acting out these acts of violen ..read more

Guest Author: Tim Deatrick, Director of Giver Engagement, MortarStone For the past few years, nonprofit organizations and churches have been hearing about the upcoming generational wealth transfer. Estimates range anywhere from $60 to $90 trillion dollars that will be passed from Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation to their heirs and the causes they care about over the next 30 years. Since churches tend to lag nonprofits in the philanthropic arena, many are just now awakening to the need to find inclusion in the planning documents of their church members. Since 80% of America’s wealth has b ..read more

Whenever I read the Scriptures, especially when it involves a story, I try to imagine it as if I am physically standing there watching the events unfolding. This helps me not to interpret the text the same way every time and usually causes me to ask questions I wouldn't ask through casual reading. This happened recently while reading Jesus' feeding of the five thousand, and, as it often happens when meditating on God's word, I saw something new. First, a quick overview of the story: One day, Jesus was by the Sea of Galilee, and a large crowd, about five thousand men, plus women and children ..read more

Guest Author: Good Sense We've all heard the statistics. Money issues and arguments are one of the leading causes of marital stress and divorce. And this isn't true just outside the church - it's true in our congregations as well. Discussions about money surface all kinds of emotions, and many couples aren't equipped to deal effectively with the topic.   If you're like most couples, you probably didn't discuss money in any depth before you married. That means that you each likely entered the relationship with unspoken assumptions and priorities; and, since you're different people, those a ..read more

Guest Author: Vision2 While every giver is different, they are alike in this way: Each one starts with a first gift and concludes with their last. This can be when they stop supporting your church (lapsed) or bequeath a final gift posthumously (legacy). Playing the Long Game with Givers  When we look at giving from this perspective - often called the Giver Lifecycle - it’s easy to see that churches must create meaningful connections now in order to forge lasting bonds and steward givers across this journey.  But that task is a little like trying to organize a family movie night ..read more

Guest Author: Rachel Rupert Christians don’t like to agree on much, but I think we can all agree there are few things as hotly debated in churches as: women’s role in the church and/or leadership tithing or giving financially to the church And lucky me, I get to work as a woman in ministry and in the world of biblical and financial stewardship. Call me a lover of opposition. It’s no easy task trying to get people to understand the beauty of giving and generosity. Giving is an expression of worship, an invitation to partner with God in everything. It requires you to “place your bet” on th ..read more